Jobs and skills for persons with disabilities with a focus on ICT-based solutions

What is the project about?

Persons with disabilities in Egypt tend to be economically excluded and are not active in the labour market. Moreover, many of them lack the needed ICT, soft and entrepreneurial skills to start their own businesses. This 18-month joint project implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), ICT Trust Fund, and International Labour Organization (ILO) aims to support labour market inclusion of persons with disabilities through the use of ICT solutions, with a specific focus on the ICT and tourism sector. The project develops accessible training materials and provides trainings for 600 visually and/ or physically impaired women and men aged 18 to 35 years in 6 targeted governorates. Also, its capacity building targeted training and employment service providers as well as employers is meant to facilitate persons with disabilities’ employment opportunities in the labor market.

What have we accomplished so far?

Orientation session was held for the contracted NGOs in each targeted governorate as an introduction and preparation for the project activities – awareness sessions and trainings.

34 participants of training providers representing governmental and non-governmental organizations were trained on how to make their services more inclusive. We are following up with the participants with regards to their action plans to ensure their implementation.

A special employment issue of Shoghlana magazine on Inclusive Employment was released.

Private companies, hotels, and employers’ organizations participated in the Employers’ Event on Inclusive Employment. The participants discussed challenges of Inclusive Employment and suggested solutions. Also, they were exposed to good practices of hiring persons with disabilities to understand its benefits as well as to the ILO tools that can support them to be more inclusive.

Design Thinking workshop on Inclusive Employment titled “Designing Mobile Applications for Youth Inclusive Employment” was held in partnership with TIEC and ITI during the ITI’s Mobile Developer Weekend Ⅱ; 16-18 April 2015 at the ITI Head Quarter. This workshop generated an encounter between the field of disability affairs and the field of mobile industry as well as a co-working opportunity for people with different backgrounds including mobile developers and persons with disabilities to co-develop mobile applications which promote Inclusive Employment. The selected top 3 teams are being followed by TIEC’s acceleration program to finalize their prototypes.

Who finances this project?

UNPRPD (United Nations Partnership to promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)

Delivery in previous fiscal year

$7,327(2014)

Highlights

According to the United Nations estimates, there are 12 million persons with disabilities in Egypt

Since the impact of disability extends to the families of the individuals, there are about 36 million persons who are affected by disability in Egypt

Persons with disabilities in Egypt are mostly excluded economically and deprived of their rights to work

The project promotes inclusive employment for youth between the ages of 18 and 35, with physical and/or visual impairment in 6 governorates with the focus on the ICT and tourism sectors

The project develops accessible training materials and provides training for targeted persons with disabilities as well as capacity building for training providers/ employment offices/ employers in order to facilitate the integration of persons with disabilities